


hyacinth in the meadow

by surrealmeme



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camping, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Photography, Rain, Road Trips, Summer Rain, aesthetic, but it's not discussed in-depth or anything, i tried to go for a studio ghibli vibe, i wrote this instead of studying for finals rip, i wrote this to heal from the pain that is canon banana fish, just used to give some context to ash and eiji's actions, lapslock, none of the plot actually happens, soft, there's just the slightest hint at past trauma on ash's part, they're just soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 20:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17049989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surrealmeme/pseuds/surrealmeme
Summary: two young men, barely adults, really just boys, take a trip into the woods and document its - and each other's - beauty in photographs.





	hyacinth in the meadow

“good morning,” eiji softly said as he gently shook ash awake.

there were sluggish movements from inside the heap of blankets; soon, ash emerged, his long blond hair sticking out in every direction.

“thanks,” ash mumbled as he accepted the steaming mug of coffee eiji held out to him. once ash was sitting up, eiji sat next to him, the two young men - boys? - enjoying a quiet peaceful morning.

“what time is it?” ash asked once he had finished his coffee. “never mind, i got it,” he said, fishing his phone out from the folds of the blankets. “9:32 - i’m gonna go wash my face. i can clean the cups, too.”

eiji handed his empty mug to ash but followed him out of their van. the morning air of the forest clearing was crisp and just warm enough that it was refreshing rather than cold. the two walked to the nearby river and collected water to wash their faces with; ash dunked the mugs into the river, letting the current wash them out. he then rolled up his sleeves and splashed copious amounts of water onto his face, not bothering with soap.

“can i take a photo of you?” eiji abruptly asked as ash was drying his face. “put the towel down, too.”

“sure,” ash said, turning to face eiji and draping the towel over his shoulder.

after making a few adjustments on his phone’s camera settings, eiji took three photos in rapid succession.

“tell me which one you like best,” he told ash, handing him the phone, and went to wash his face as well.

in the photo that ash selected, the sun hit the water clinging to the front of his hair, making the strands look like fine strings of gold. the water droplets that were dripping from his chin caught the light and refracted it into tiny rainbows. the entire photo was bright and imbued with a lighthearted and natural atmosphere - what indie art films work so hard to achieve that they prioritize aesthetics over story.

“you make me look pretty, eiji,” ash commented with a touch of surprise.

“that’s because you are,” eiji simply responded. “i didn’t _make_ you look any way, i just captured what i saw - how beautiful you always are.”

ash scoffed.

“you’re an absolute sap, you know that?”

◦◦◦

every time eiji wanted a photo of ash, he made sure to ask first. once, ash had said he didn’t mind if eiji took photos of him, but eiji asked every time anyway. ash had meant what he said, but the truth was that both felt more comfortable when eiji made sure to check.

“hey ash, if it’s okay, stay still for a little bit so i can take a photo real quick?” eiji said around noon.

they were relaxing in a small meadow they had found, a field with bright green grass and the occasional wildflower. ash lounged in the grass, reading a book, while eiji was content to drink iced tea and listen to music from the bluetooth speaker they had brought.

“i’m already pretty still,” ash remarked, “but go ahead.”

eiji positioned himself at ash’s side, to capture his profile, and crouched down so the lens of the camera was level with ash’s face. ash’s eyes were focused downwards, on his book, and obstructed by his glasses; eiji’s original plan to take an up-close shot of ash’s profile - a clean, flowing, undisturbed line - with a focus on his eyes wouldn’t work. but eiji took a quick photo anyway, because ash still looked carefree, contemplative, and warm, before moving further away.

from his new position, the tallest of the grasses blocked out parts of ash’s body; only the top half of his face was visible, and eiji knew he had made the right choice by changing his plans. the fine details of ash’s face were no longer visible, but the soft green grass and vibrant wildflowers that framed his profile gave the photo an artistic and romantic quality. a slight smile tugged at ash’s lips - he must have gotten to a good part of his book - and eiji drew a comparison between ash and a youth from greek antiquity whose name eiji could not recall. perhaps ash would know, well-read as he was. regardless of eiji’s classical knowledge, “hyacinth in the meadow” would be a fine name for the photo.

eiji walked back to ash, whose brow was slightly creased in concentration.

“could you close your eyes? maybe lie down a bit?” eiji asked.

ash obliged, setting the book aside. he rolled onto his back, arms outstretched; he closed his eyes and all of the small creases in his face disappeared. perhaps it was the sun and the slight sweat on ash’s skin, but when eiji leaned over him to take the photo, ash seemed to glow.

the photos would be a set, eiji decided. “hyacinth in the meadow i” and “ii.”

ash laid in the sun for a while, grass plush under him, making it clear that he was enjoying it and not just waiting for eiji to finish his photos. the background music of a soft piano waltz afforded an ambience that seemed to be lifted straight from a studio ghibli movie.

“can i see them?” ash suddenly asked. that was unusual for him; he normally showed little interest in the photos eiji took of him, only looking at them when requested to.

“sure,” eiji said, offering his hand to ash; taking eiji’s hand, ash pulled himself up.

“ _oh_ ,” ash said when eiji handed him the camera. “i like them… a lot, actually,” he added with a tender and a little conflicted expression on his face. “i never thought i’d ever like looking at photos of myself this much.”

“i’m so glad you do, then,” eiji said, beaming. “i’d always hoped you would, since i really love taking them, ash.”

◦◦◦

when the iced tea ran dry and the sun grew too hot, hyacinth and his lover - apollo? is that who eiji was to ash? - returned to their campsite. the shade provided reprieve from the heat and cooled the formerly warm breeze.

“which bag are our extra shirts in?” eiji asked.

he and ash had taken off their t-shirts due to the weather, then used them to wipe off the slight sheen of sweat on their bodies. the shirts were in no state to be worn, but now the sun was slowly disappearing behind the trees and the wind bore a chill.

“my duffel bag,” ash answered. “just dig through it.”

eiji nodded and went off to the van; ash leaned back in his folding chair and contemplated the weather. it felt heavy and sticky, the dry heat of the afternoon completely gone. clouds drifted into the sky above them and lingered.

“eiji,” ash said when the other returned. he put on his shirt, then continued, “in japan, does it rain in the summer?”

eiji nodded his head yes.

“june and july are japan’s rainy season,” he answered. “it’s quite like this, actually, before it’s about to rain. very humid.”

“so, do you think it’s gonna rain?”

“if it were japan,” eiji said, “for sure. but i didn’t think it rained in the summer in america?”

ash shrugged.

“weather’s been weird lately. let’s go inside if you think it’s gonna rain.”

in lieu of a verbal answer, eiji stood up and started folding up the camping chair he’d been using and took it to the van; ash did the same.

“we’re staying inside, then?” eiji confirmed.

ash nodded, burrowing into the mass of sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows in the back of the van. he must have been feeling cold - when eiji settled into the blankets, ash naturally curled into him. content smiles were on both their faces, and the two boys drifted off to a light sleep.

◦◦◦

ash was woken by rain drumming on the van, a soothing, rhythmic sound. there was sunlight pouring through the rain and into the car, casting an ethereal and romantic glow over ash and the still-sleeping eiji, who ash gently woke.

“it’s raining but so sunny at the same time,” ash said, gazing out the window with fascination.

“i guess this doesn’t really happen in america,” eiji concluded. “it’s called _kitsune no yomeiri_ \- the fox’s wedding,” he explained.

“it’s beautiful,” ash said in a soft tone of voice.

after a long moment, he said to eiji,

“can you take a picture of me?”

ash had never asked that before.

“of course,” eiji answered, scrambling for his camera.

he adjusted the settings, accounting for the unique lighting; eiji was determined to capture the mottled, green-and-yellow-tinged light the sunshower cast on ash. the photo’s subject lay in the blankets and tilted his face towards eiji’s camera, a relaxed smile on his face.

“let me see,” ash said once eiji was done.

eiji handed the camera to ash, who regarded each photo with an unusual concentration.

“i like this one,” he eventually said, passing the camera back. “i look pretty in it.”


End file.
